


Artist Bros

by Rasnak_2



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe?, And is also clueless as to what to tag, Artists, Bending used as art, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Korrasami if you squint, Like probably all the characters are out of character, Mild Hurt/Comfort, OOC characters, Secrets, The Author Regrets Nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-13
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-21 05:40:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30016959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rasnak_2/pseuds/Rasnak_2
Summary: Summary:“It had been a family tradition” grandma Yin recalled fondly, “practising art in order to learn control over bending. Also, a great way to make hyperactive kids settle down and learn to focus."Aka the Bending Brothers are artists and have their own side business.
Relationships: Bolin & Mako (Avatar), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Artist Bros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: My first ever fanfic in this fandom and any info I got are based on Wikipedia, Fandom Wiki, fanfictions and YouTube clips as I haven't had the chance to download LOK and don't have Netflix. So if there are any obvious things I missed, I am sorry.

It was a special day. Probably not for everyone but it certainly was for the boy who was standing in front of the noodlery, a wistful look on his face that disappeared when he looked at the few coins in his hand before deciding to try his luck anyway. It was Bolin’s birthday and nothing was going to mess this up.

“Um… Is it possible to keep a raincheck on the payment? It is my brother’s birthday and I really really want to make this day special for him” the boy asked, eyes wide in hope as he stared at the cashier.

“What is in it for me kiddo?” the owner asked, unphased, as he knew that street kids like this always ran away without paying in the end.

“It's Mako, not kiddo. Well… you can…” he started off and thought seriously before taking off the small yin-yang pendant, with a miniature dragon in the middle, that was hanging on his neck. “You can have this until I pay? Just one promise that you wouldn’t do anything to it and return it to me, without damage when I pay you. It is something that my brother and I made with our mom and dad before they…” he explained with a sad sigh as he held out the pendent delicately like he was afraid it would break.

The man looked at it contemplatively before narrowing his eyes at Mako again. “You designed it with your brother, you say? Tell you what kid? I have a deal for you. You craft me something worthwhile and I will give you the food. Deal?” the man asked and Mako blinked for a moment before nodding enthusiastically.

“Rock or coal?” he asked with a cocky smile. “And what design? Depending on the design we might take from a day to 3 to finish it. The maximum might be a week if the design is complex.” he listed out and the man just smiled.

“It would be nice to have a rock carving with Tui and La I believe. The size of the container I will give your food in. Acceptable?” the man negotiated as he pointed out one of the many hangings in the shop and Mako eyed the design contemplatively before taking a piece of parchment and drawing it out roughly.

“Consider it done. Thank you for the deal” Mako said, a genuine smile on his face. “Give me two days.”

Exactly 2 days later, Mako comes back to the shop with the carved piece of rock in his hand, details etched onto it to the finest detail.

“This… this is truly amazing for a kid your age. How old are you?” he asked, astonished at the amount of detail in the carving.

“My brother is 9 and I am 11. No biggie. And our deal is done.” Mako declared and left to leave but paused as a hand was placed on his shoulder.

“You forgot your pendant kid. And tell you what? I am offering you a better deal. Whether or not you want to accept it, your choice.” the man offered.

“I’m listening,” Mako said stoically, waiting for what the man had to offer them. They were, after all, running short of money and winter was soon approaching. Their clothes were torn with no way to mend them, their shoes were worn off and without any food, they might not make it past the winter.

“I can see that both of you are street kids and winter is fast approaching. And people are saying that this winter is going to be quite harsh this year. What I propose is very simple. I will provide you with materials, you create the art and I sell them and pay you in money and food. I am willing to be your middleman should you wish to remain anonymous. I’ll give you a day to consider my proposal and should you wish to take it up, bring your brother along tomorrow”

Mako just blinked in shock, surprised that someone would offer them something this big and just ran off in a hurry, trying to process and debate on what to do.

Their craft was pretty simple. Take something Bolin would be able to bend; bend them into the required shape and etch the outline while he does the inner details using broken pieces of glass or nails or screwdrivers, depending on what they have in hand at that moment before carefully running it over on the controlled flames in his hand, the charred and blackened look more likely giving it a unique finish as it created shadows of its own...

It was something that their mother had started teaching them before she died, the only legacy they had that was passed down from their parents apart from the pendant and the red scarf that Mako always wore around his neck, regardless of the weather. It was her belief that art was a means to work on a bender’s control and precision as it takes a lot of time and concentration to craft something.

“You think we should do this Bo?” he asked as they silently ate whatever they managed to scourge that day. Bolin’s face just lit up at the prospect of making more sculptures and carvings but the face fell.

“What’s wrong Bo?” Mako asked, noticing the downtrodden look. “As much as I want to do this… I mean, you did say we need the money and we have to be on the top of our game but… what if we aren't good enough and they…” he asked hesitantly.

“No Bo, you are amazing at what you do! You should've seen the face of the man when he received that carving this morning! Maybe the only problem we will have are with regard to the materials we may need but apart from that? We should do great! I mean, remember the time where you gave me that sand sculpture of a fire ferret for my birthday? You were just 8 at that time and yet you made a detailed ferret! And sand is a pretty hard material to work with as dad said. We’ll be alright I think” Mako reassured with a smile.

“There you go then!” Bolin said with a winning smile of his own. “You answered your own question. Where should we meet him?”

Then on, things kind of looked up for the brothers. Yes, they often had to find other jobs to do alongside this hobby of theirs as they couldn’t always depend on the earnings from their craft. It wasn’t like they weren’t good. It was more along the lines of the fact that the orders were far and few in between.

Narook, as they learnt the name of their benefactor after a while, held up to his promise and acted as the brother’s middleman, taking orders for them from the customers who frequented the place and providing them with a meal and their savings in return.

The boys also took it upon themselves to work with Narook when business was busier than usual and there weren’t enough people to cover everyone up. This was also the time where the boys grew closer to Narook, who almost stepped up to be a father figure for them.

And in the 3 years since their secret side business started - the “2BBros” as they fondly called it, the business had had its highs and lows, expanding form the plain old rock sculpturing they’d initially started with to more innovative ideas of combining the rock with various other forms of earth and sand to form a more unique design and charcoal art, with the signature sign “2BB” marked onto each work, a stamp that gained wide popularity among people, even if rare. Word of mouth sales may be a slow form of communication, but quite an effective one at that. **_(the idea being that the different pieces of rock, when under enough pressure will merge like a layered rock kind of thing)_ **

They were forced to take a break when they started pro-bending training with Toza though, due to the lack of time they had to craft things between their own jobs and the training. It was not like they completely cut off from the hobby but mutually decided that they would take a significantly less number of orders so that they don't work themselves to exhaustion.

3 years later, this new pattern of theirs also kicked the bucket as The Avatar came into the scene - the training, working up to pay for the pro-bending entry and later on the whole Equalist debacle took up their whole time, the tension and anxiety taken to a peak when Bolin was kidnapped and the subsequent confrontations.

Shifting to the Air Temple and getting used to its dynamic after it being just the two of them took some time, not helping when Lin approached him to join the force, reasoning that they needed him.

But the pay came along with the fact that there was not much free time with the amount of work to do during the aftermath of the Equalist debacle. But being with Korra also meant that they wouldn’t be able to have much free time to pursue their hobby/business for the time being and with a heavy heart, announced to Narook that they were taking a break for an indefinite period of time.

The Harmonic Convergence came and went, as did Unalaq’s whole fiasco with Vaatu and the brothers decided to take a breather for a while and get back to art-making once more, the process relaxing the tension they were running on, the joy on people’s face when they received their art-making it worth the effort and time.

“You know…” Asami had said out of the blue one day as they were chilling in Air Temple Island. “I know that I shouldn’t feel all that sentimental over this stupid thing but… I don't know why but this rock, it always reminds me of you both for some reason. My father had gifted it to me for my 14th birthday, saying that it reminded him of my mother and I should have a piece of her always”

In her hand was a familiar looking rock, about the size of her palm with a sword and flower crossed in the middle of the maze with a tiny etching that said: “Balance is key to finding the right path” and the signature 2BB at the end.

“Looks so cool!” Korra gushed as she took the rock and examined it. “And it is not just made from one particular type of rock by the feel of it… its just amazing. Who made this?” she queried eagerly.

“No one knows actually. The only fact anyone knows is that… remember that Narook’s noodlery? Narook is like the middleman. He takes the orders and delivers them. No one knows who’s the actual creator behind 2BB. The astonishing fact is that the art is so good that they can really price them high if they wanted but the prices are always quite low that anyone can afford it, even if they are poor” Asami divulged and the brothers stared at each other, a blush creeping up their faces as the shifted uncomfortably.

They remembered this piece clearly. It was on the day when they were helping Narook with the evening rush and Hiroshi Sato had come into the place, giving Narook the design and a slab that was broken, demanding that he wanted it in a week for his daughter’s birthday.

While they didn’t usually perform repair works, preferring to use their own materials as they knew how it worked, they did make exceptions at times. They’d tested out the material for a while, noting the heating and how much they were able to bend it and how much they could salvage from the original material for the piece, ultimately concluding that they would have to add in some of their own so that the piece could hold its shape, the original material too fragile to work with for such detail.

Initially, Mr. Sato had been quite put off by this conclusion when Narook informed him about the boys’ findings but reluctantly agreed to it later on. It took 3 days after that for them to complete it and handed it off to Narook with instructions on how to take care of it, a piece they were proud of with the end result.

The sudden rise in the number of air benders and the subsequent hunt which led to them meeting their extended kin was a pleasant surprise, especially when they got to know that their whole family was some way or the other involved in some type of craft or the other.

“It had been a family tradition” grandma Yin recalled fondly, “practising art in order to learn control over bending. Also, a great way to make hyperactive kids settle down and learn to focus. We may not have converted into a business but it is something we treasure.”

The boys eyed each other before Mako took out the pendant that was in his pocket and showed it to her, answering her wordless question. “We may have also sold stuff we made in order to survive on the streets,” Bolin said hesitantly.

“Businessmen at such a young age? I am proud of you both no matter what. What did you do?” she asked. “We might’ve started the 2BB trend?” Mako admitted sheepishly.

“It was completely unintentional!” Bolin added in a hurry. “It started as a way to pay back a restaurant owner with a carving and he put in a word with his customers and we got some orders but now we are taking a short break due to all this Avatar stuff going on. But I'm pretty sure we can make something for you!"

Before Yin could reply, Bolin ran outside, asking for a slab and rushed back in with one and a few pieces of coal in his hand, which he tossed to Mako. Looking at his brother for a single moment, he remembered something from his childhood, his time before the streets and concentrated hard on the memory, trying to carve it onto the slab in front of him.

It was a little shabby and rough on the whole but Mako got the idea of what Bolin wanted to convey and took the slab from him, using the coal to shade in some more detailed definitions before heating up another piece of coal and created more designs and gave it a final dusting off before handing it over to his grandmother.

She just gasped at the details and the proficiency with which her grandsons had created the piece in her hands, things that could take people hours to finish were in her hands after 2 hours of work. Four people leaning over on the table, a rock in the middle with a rough outline of the pendant Mako had shown her.

“The pendant was the first and the last project we worked on with our parents. It was one of our most memorable happy memories to date, the driving force for creating all this artwork. And we wanted you to have a piece to commemorate the memory too” Mako confessed.

“You are two precious boys. Your parents would've been proud of you. I am sure that I am pretty proud of you too, with how far you have come in this short time. My only regret will be the fact that you had to suffer so much in order to get to where you are. But it is the journey that makes a person unique. I know that you might have to leave soon but know that the doors to this part of your family are always open dears. We all love you.”

Things soon escalated as they freed the imprisoned airbenders from the Earth Queen’s palace before heading to Zaofu, where they met up with the family of Suyin Beifong, who seemed to be on a totally different league from what they’d usually seen.

One thing that attracted their attention (apart from Bolin’s attraction to Opal) was the abstract art of Huan, offhandedly commenting on ways he could improvise with his bending, often at times leading to Huan snapping at them for stamping out his creative juice before begrudgingly trying out their suggestions in secret.

“How do you know such things?” he’d asked them one night and they just shrugged, blaming it on intuition and having seen many street artists during their time on the streets.

Discovering the fact that Bolin could lavabend during the Red Lotus debacle was totally a plus point and opened up a wide range of possibilities of how they could further themselves. Bolin would take a small amount of lava, initially trying to harden it in a shape he wants it to be like the metal benders did with the meteorite before testing out various cooling levels and how malleable it would be at which temperature until he got the hang of lavabending, just in time for the final face-off with the Red Lotus. Let’s just say that Ghazan never saw the smaller drops of lava aimed at him until it hits him and by that time, it would be too late to react at all.

Shortly after that, they were surprised when Narook informed them that Councilman Tenzin had given a bulk order for them to complete. It wasn’t that much work for them if they were honest and had finished it by the time Jinora’s initiation ceremony into her mastery had happened. What surprised them the most was the fact that he handed them two of the coins they crafted, coins with a badgermole and dragon in the centre, the only difference was that one was bordered with fire and the other with lava.

“It is a token of appreciation from my side for all you have done in this short period. I suppose I don’t show my appreciation as much like my siblings try to remind me but… I suppose now is a better time to start than never?” he’d said with a small smile and walked away to talk with the newly titled master Jinora.

Then they had to split up ways when Lin asked Mako to be the personal guard for Wu and Bolin decided to join Kuvira’s cause because he didn't want to be left behind in the city without anything to do. Staying in one place for a long time had never been his strong suit, secretly being an adrenaline junkie that he is.

That doesn’t mean that they stopped working on projects. More often than not they delivered messages to each other, a piece of work always attached to it just for time to pass as they just let their creative juices flow without restriction, trying to figure out what else could be done in their field of work. Though they were still debating on whether they should sell their work done during this period shortly after the attack on Republic city by Kuvira as they felt that they might not be able to store everything in their apartment any time soon as it was already a mess.

Mako had definitely taken a break for a while, grudgingly allowing his hand to heal from the lightning burns. It was a miracle, the doctors had said as they examined his burn, that he was able to bend fire at all from that hand, given the amount of scarring. Though he was strictly advised not to use lightning until he was completely healed, lest he disturb his Chi flow all over again, rendering him unable to use his fire too.

Korra, later on, announced that they were going on a month-long vacation to Zaofu following Kuvira’s trial because they deserved it. The brothers felt a bit unsure of it, not willing to leave Republic city, at least not when everyone was trying to rebuild their lives. They wanted to help the city get back on its feet but Kya had barged in and asked, no, demanded them to take a rest before going back to rebuild because they have already done enough.

And that is how the two of them ended up in Zaofu, growing restless without anything to do at all, making them realise that maybe it was time to let the others into their secret business. It was not like they were actively hiding this side of their life, more for the fact that circumstances didn't let them tell it to their friends.

“Maybe we can make something for them? I mean, according to everyone we are currently ‘out of business’ and not taking any orders, right? And I was intending to make something for Opal anyways so it might be the best time to reveal ourselves?” Bolin asked and Mako hummed, considering the idea before giving him the go-ahead.

“Plus Asami did place an order just before we all left and I am pretty sure that she wanted to give it to Korra. Two birds in one stone?” Mako suggested with a grin.

In the following days, they spent most of their days locked up in their room, multiple sheets of paper on their hand, each sheet used to draw one part of their plan so that if anyone happened to come across just one of them, none of it would make sense and destroy their surprise. They’d asked for Suyin’s permission so that they could get complete privacy in the front yard for Bolin’s lavabending practice, which was partly true as he did want to explore his subset, but the larger picture was something more.

Finally, when they were completely sure that they had a plan in place, they stood in front of the yard, deciding to get over with the earth sculpture first before Opal’s gift. In all honesty, the earth sculptures did seem to be the easiest part of their plan as it was all dependent on how Bolin bent the earth to his will and the precision he could make with that. The carving on the other hand… had one small roadblock.

“We need a metal bender. Metal bending is a huge part of Opal, even if she isn’t a metal bender herself. But who are we going to drag into this?” Bolin asked and the two of them stared at each other before they got their answer as they looked at the passer-by.

“HUAN!! We need your help!” Bolin announced as he dragged the man away from his metal sculpture in a hurry.

“What happened! What is the hurry that you dragged me away from my art?” Huan asked, feeling annoyed.

“Well, to do more art of course” Bolin deadpanned, wrinkling his nose “and we need your help because we want to show it at dinner” Bolin said impatiently as he stopped at the grounds where Mako was waiting for them.

“Thank god you came here! We were almost discovered. I just distracted them at the last minute else the surprise would’ve been ruined!” Mako exclaimed.

“What did you need me for then?” Huan asked, eyeing the piece of cloth on the floor.

“Metal bending of course! None of us can do it and without it our little piece will be incomplete!” Bolin said proudly as he brought out the sheets of paper that held their plan.

Huan took in the piece of work in silence - the paper was covered in a lot of rough sketches in multiple colours with little notes in the corner and what seemed like small scorch marks. And the signature he's come to admire in one corner.

"So… this was our plan. Well, technically it was Bolin's plan because he's the one who wants to propose to your sister and well… you are his girlfriend's brother so we thought that if you would give some inputs about what she'll like and stuff… and the metalbending part of it" Mako trailed off, not knowing how to explain.

"You are asking me how to propose to my sister" Huan asked, narrowing his eyes, "while having this masterpiece in front of you and being the 2BBs!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

"Um… yeah? I mean, what do you mean?" Bolin asked, confused.

"My sister, scratch that, my whole family is in love with your work ever since uncle Tenzin mass gifted us stuff made by the two of you during Jinora’s ceremony! I myself was stuck to my room for a really long time trying to study your artwork! And this design is really amazing and I want to watch you work through this." Huan declared as he sat down to get a better view of everything.

"Frankly, it helped us get over all that tension running around as well. We really needed that break before going back to our day to day business. It's good to know Chief appreciates the keychain we created I guess. She always has it on her" Mako said.

“Would you mind answering my question after you are done with whatever you are doing?” Huan asked.

Bolin just nodded as he took a slab of rock in his hand, quickly chipping off the edges to smoothen it out before starting to carve out the outline of the design onto it, referring to the drawing on the papers from time to time. Then in quick precision he took more pieces of rock and sand and coal, bending it into shape before placing it into the respective slots and sealed it by putting sand into the cracks and hardening it.

He later on created a small pool of lava, moulding it into the required shape and held it out to Mako to cool it a tad bit before placing it into the main rock and hardening it further, sealing it in place.

"Huan, can you please bend the metal so that it will exactly fit into these gaps? And create some sort of a frame that'll hold the final product?" Bolin asked without breaking stride, completely focused on the finer details.

Huan silently complied and bent the required bits of metal and partially hardened it into the mould as Bolin asked him to wait. Mako immediately came forward and worked out some more minor details and nodded at Huan to completely harden the metal, now with small designs and pieces of rock inside it, creating a pattern of its own.

Finally, Mako took over the project completely, fire in his hand as he slowly ran it over the rock in a controlled manner to create those precise burn marks that Huan admired in each art piece the brothers made. The flames grew and thinned out with each move, creating a smoked and mysterious aura around the carvings and then Mako set it down to cool, wiping the sweat off his brow with a satisfied grin. He couldn’t firebend to the level he would’ve before, but it was better than what he could do the month before and he was happy with whatever he got.

The final product was more beautiful than the initial drawing, now that Huan could see the completed thing. A miniature Air Temple Island, Zaofu and a spirit portal in the middle, an air bison sitting in front of the spirit portal, a flying boar and badgermole flanking on either side of it.

"You are who you are. Born with a family, built by circumstances. 2BB" was etched in the very bottom of the slab. Huan quickly moulded the frame around the slab and smiled at Bolin, who looked quite nervous now that everything was done.

"Don't worry. She'll love it, I'm completely sure of it" he reassured. "But maybe tell her that you were the one to make it. She'll appreciate it more then"

"Oh I do plan on telling her about our side business alright. We can't hide it forever after all! Hiding it for the past 4 years from the whole lot of you was a big pain in the arse alright. It was a miracle that we haven't been discovered yet!" Bolin said in exasperation.

"Don't worry bro. We're gonna reveal it to them today so Huan, please don't tell them about this. It's… we didn't actively try to hide it from people is just that…" Mako stammered, unable to express himself.

"No issues. Everyone is entitled to their secrets. Just a bit upset that I didn't know sooner because of the possibilities…" Huan pondered dreamily.

That evening, everyone assembled in the courtyard as requested by the brothers, curious to know what was going on with the two. Mako stepped up to his nervous brother and squeezed his shoulder in support, trying to ease his tension.

"We… we have a few things to tell all of you. First things first, our apologies to everyone for our odd behaviour. It's just that… It's kind of unbelievable really, surreal that we are even standing over here today in front of these many people who… who are leagues apart from us but still took us street boys in with open arms. Every year, on this day, we used to sit and think of the family that we lost, the family that we could’ve been if not for that mugger killing our parents. But over the past 4 years, we've come to realise that we have been set about creating a family of our own, a found family. A family that is not necessarily tied to blood.”

"Growing up in the streets with just each other, it was a shock to us when you all took us in without hesitation or doubt, integrating is into your life and making us feel like we are a part of a family. Yes, we may have a family in Ba Sing Se but… you all were the first family we found and we are really grateful that we were lucky enough to find something like that after so long of being self-dependent. You cannot imagine how much of an impact you’ve made in our lives. So I guess some thank yous are in order now. Thank you Korra for joining the Fire Ferrets, thank you Asami for crashing into our lives, thank you Councilman Tenzin and his family for willingly taking us in when we had nowhere to go, thank you Chief and the Metal Clan for putting up with us. Just… thank you” Bolin choked out, wiping away the tears that were starting to flow.

“Suyin, I really don't know if you'll be mad at us for this as we’d just said that I was using this place for lava bending but… it's just… we wanted to show our appreciation and thanks for opening your arms wide to two orphans." Bolin said as he uncovered the sheet that was covering the area, revealing detailed miniature sculptures made out of a mix of earth and lava rocks.

It was a beauty on its own - The Air Temple Island, Republic City, Zaofu, Ba Sing Se and the South Pole represented in some way or the other with miniature people inside it, almost like it was to represent them in some way.

As the hushed whispers of awe started to grow, Bolin cleared his throat again, trying to shake away the wet feeling in the back of his throat.

"Speaking of families. Opal, I know we've had quite a 'rocky' time due to some bad decisions of mine but you still stayed by my side, no matter what. Will you accept this from me?" Bolin asked giving her a box carved out of a rock, clearly spelling "Will you marry me?" On the top. Curious as to what was inside, the box being too big for a typical ring box, she opened it and gasped, eyes wide with multiple emotions reflecting off them as she took in the slab in front of her, running a delicate hand over it.

"This is… when? How?" she asked in shock, noting the distinct 2BB on the slab. The only way he could've gotten it was from Republic city, but he hasn't been there for the past month, and it would've been hard to get it done beforehand as she'd come to know that they were temporarily unavailable since Kuvira's attack.

One by one, everyone crowded around Opal to look at the slab in her hands, taking in every detail carved into it. "Even I heard that they were currently unavailable. I'd asked Narook myself the last time I was there. How did you get this?" Korra asked.

“That was the other thing we wanted to talk about. We know that we’ve been keeping secrets from you, even though we didn't intend to actively keep them from you. It just happened that way” Mako started off.

“Just get to the point and stop beating around the bush will you” Huan deadpanned and the brothers narrowed their eyes at him before sighing.

“Today was the day Bending Bros officially got its name” Bolin beamed, immediately turning into a frown as everyone looked at him weirdly. “So it’s one of your birthdays today? I thought it had already passed?” Opal asked, confused.

“No! Not that! Shit, I forgot the fact that no one actually knew the full form. Today was the day we officially named 2BB as you guys know it. It was originally 2 Bending Bros but it's a handful to write so we just stuck with 2BB” Mako explained and jaws dropped as they saw Opal’s slab in a new light.

“You… you created all this stuff? When the hell did you start! This all looks soo… just wow!” Asami exclaimed as she took out her own slab and flipped it in her hand.

“Family tradition on my dad’s side and our mother’s belief that art helps with precision and control of one’s bending. We started sometime before mother died and well… it was the only thing that remained as something to remember our parents with. Though making it a business was all Narook’s idea. For us, personally, it is just a hobby. We didn't intend on making it a well-known brand or anything. The only reason we started all this selling stuff was… well… surviving the winters on the street. He offered to be a middleman and give us materials and food in return. I don't think we would've even survived winter if it weren't for this opportunity” Mako confessed.

“But it wasn't forced onto us! We genuinely wanted to do this stuff” Bolin interjected, looking at the frowns on everyone’s face. “At some point, running scams and numbers or working multiple jobs was just too much and this side business helped unwind and just… be ourselves without the worry of what we would do for the next meal you know. Narook just gave us a way to unwind. He didn't take advantage of us.”

“And how old were you at that time?” Lin asked. “Bolin was 9 and I was 11. WE had to do what it takes to survive and we don't regret it, not when people actually appreciate the stuff we make. Reminds me, Councilman Tenzin! You really helped us by bulk ordering! Thank you!” Mako said with a laugh as he took in Tenzin’s bewildered expression.

"Reminds me, Asami, I think this is what you asked for," Mako winked as he tossed a pendant towards Asami. "And good luck with what you are planning to do with it!"

"You pieces of shit" she cursed as she ran towards the two smug looking brothers, removing her sandal in the process and holding it high over her head.

"Hey, why are we being chased with a shoe! After all that we've done for you!" Bolin gasped in mock hurt as he ran alongside his brother, valiantly trying, and failing to dodge Asami, who tackled them both to the ground.

“You know, it kind of makes sense now, their odd behaviour and the time when Narook said the 2BB was available. They were unavailable whenever the idiots were running alongside for god’s sake! Wait, then why were you struggling with that pro-bending entry fee? You could’ve easily paid for it!" Korra asked.

“Well… We never technically had enough saved for pro-bending. You know how our pricing works. And if we had more than necessary in our hand, apart from keeping it in our emergency stash, we also used to give some of it away to people so that they don't have to go through what we did you know. It wasn’t good to have too much cash on hand when you are on the streets. Makes you the target easily because you are loaded” Bolin explained.

“And what do you plan to do with your side business now? Mako is a detective and you said you were planning to assist Zhu Li with whatever she’s doing.” Suyin asked seriously.

“Doesn't mean we won't have time to do all this! As we said, it gives the space to unwind and be free. One might think it is stressful to do all that but actually, it is quite relaxing once you are used to the process.”

“Not to mention the fact that Opal is yet to answer the question yet even after you spent your precious time this afternoon creating that for her. Which was amazing by the way. Though why do you carry a piece of the lava rock with you all the time?” Huan asked, puzzled.

“Because I cannot access lava at all times and it is easier to break locks with them than with fire. No offence Mako but it's easier to slice through the locks with the lava” Bolin declared and Mako stifled his laugh.

“Did you honestly think I will say anything other than a yes brother? Honestly! Wait what do you mean you got to see them work?” Opal asked, rapidly blinking in disbelief.

“We needed someone to metalbend and he was the one crazy about art so… yeah, obvious choice.”

“You know, we never heard the end of it whenever he ranted about your style of work. It was all 2BB this, 2BB that all the time. We are glad that you’ll put us out of the misery of answering his questions” Wei remarked, rolling his eyes.

“Am I the only one still stuck on the fact that Huan just said that these two worked on Opal’s carving just this afternoon?” Bumi queried sceptically.

“Yes. We did complete it this afternoon along with the sculpturing on the ground. As Huan said, he did witness us working and helped with the metal frames and stuff. Though we did come up with the design a few days prior actually. But the carving was done today only.”

“That really takes some talent” Kya admitted as she let out a whistle as she leaned down to take a look at the miniature sculptures closer.

“And I have to admit… I wouldn’t believe that you completed this in just a few hours. The details are too fine to finish up in a few hours” Wing commented as he examined Opal’s slab once more.

“To be fair, I think mom commented about creating a mini Ba Sing Se on Ember Island with the beach sand when she was 12. It isn’t impossible but takes a high level of skill” Suyin commented offhandedly and Bolin just blushed.

“Just curious, what was your first piece of work?” Asami asked. “Narook’s Tui and La as you all like to call it. We needed food but had no money so Mako tried to compromise with making a carving for him.”

“Don't forget your sand Pabu. That was the first time you created something using sandbending. And it was cute. Pity the rain washed it away.”

“As much as we would like to hear your stories right now… I think we all need to sleep right now. It is getting really late and we are on vacation anyway. We have a lot of time to share stories.” Tenzin interjected, pointing at Rohan and Meelo, who seemed to be fighting sleep at that point.

“Noted. And no Huan, we didn't forget your request. We will answer all your questions tomorrow. Or in the following days.” Bolin promised as he pulled Opal into a side hug.

“It was really good. Thank you” she whispered as she placed a small peck on the corner of his lips. Bolin just gave her a shy grin as he pulled her into a proper kiss as the people started filing out one by one. They’d indeed come a long way since they started 2BB, and the bending brothers wouldn’t have it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Soo... hope you all liked it! All comments and criticisms accepted and appreciated! If there were any mistakes or inconsistencies, I am really sorry about that again. But if there are any prompts, they are always welcome :)  
> Tbh, my hands were itching to draw some of the carvings I described but unfortunately AO3 and I don't get along well to upload pics. And I messed up the drawing anyways so... yeah. *dammit*  
> But I have 2 more alternate endings coming up so... heads up :)
> 
> Thank you all for reading!!!!!!
> 
> Rasnak signing off :) ;)
> 
> Published on 13 March 2020


	2. Alternate ending 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This was intended to be the original ending for the OS but then I wrote down the other one and decided that it probably suited the OS better than this version... But that was mostly because I thought this was more abrupt in the finish.

That evening, Bolin nervously asked everyone to assemble in the front yard, shuffling and glancing at the huge crowd consisting of the whole Beifong clan, Tenzin's family, Korra, Asami and Wu. Mako stepped up to him and squeezed his shoulder in support, trying to ease his brother's tension.

"We… we have to confess something. But before that, Bolin wanted to show you guys something" Mako said and sent his brother a thumbs up as he stepped up.

"Over the past few years… it's just been a great honour to get to know you all. Growing up in the streets with just the other, it was a shock to us when you all took us in without hesitation or doubt, integrating is into your life and making us feel like we are a part of a family. Yes, we may have a family in Ba Sing Se but… you all were the first family we found and we are really grateful that we were lucky enough to find something like that after so long of being self-dependent. Madam Suyin, I really don't know if you'll be mad at us for making this piece of land uneven but… it's just… we wanted to show our appreciation and thanks for opening your arms wide to two orphans." Bolin said as he uncovered the sheet that was covering the area, revealing detailed miniature sculptures of everyone that had impacted their lives since they'd meet Korra.

Before anyone could get a closer look at it though, Bolin cleared his throat again, trying to shake away the wet feeling in the back of his throat.

"Speaking of families. Opal, I know we've had quite a 'rocky' time due to some bad decisions of mine and I really want to start over with you. Will you accept this from me?" Bolin asked giving her a box carved out of rock, clearly spelling "Will you marry me?" On the top. Curious as to what was inside, the box being too big for a typical ring box, she opened it and gasped, eyes wide with multiple emotions reflecting off them as she took in the slab in front of her, running a delicate hand over it.

"This is… when? How?" she asked in shock, noting the distinct 2BB on the slab. The only way he could've gotten it was from Republic city, but he hasn't been there for the past month, and it would've been hard to get it done beforehand as she'd come to know that they were temporarily unavailable since Kuvira's attack.

One by one, everyone crowded around Opal to look at the slab in her hands, taking in every detail carved into it. "Even I heard that they were currently unavailable. I'd asked Narook myself the last time I was there. How did you get this?" Korra asked.

"Reminds me, Narook asked me to give this to you" Mako said with a smirk as he tossed a pendant towards Asami. "Hope it's worthy of your calibre if you're gonna do what I think you're gonna do."

"How… How did you? I never told anyone except… you pieces of shit" she cursed as she ran towards the two smug looking brothers, removing her sandal in the process and holding it high over her head.

"Hey, why are we being chased with a shoe! After all that we've done for you!" Bolin gasped in mock hurt as he ran alongside his brother, valiantly trying, and failing to dodge Asami, who tackled them both to the ground.

"Still haven't answered the question!" Korra hollered and Asami let the two stand up before moving towards her girlfriend. "What the idiots tried to say was that they are the ones behind 2BB. They were the ones who created all this stuff. Kinda makes sense now, their odd behaviour and the working periods of the 2BB. They were unavailable whenever the idiots were running alongside us you know."

Everyone’s jaws dropped at this conclusion, the brothers feeling uncomfortable at the sudden onslaught of stares but still held their sheepish grins as they waved at the group.

“How in the worlds did you boys manage to create 20 items in less than 2 weeks! That too right after the whole Red Lotus incident!” Tenzin asked in disbelief.

“Good way to unwind. And we guessed we all could use something to unwind with so… yeah. We did some of our own custom additions to the designs with regard to what we observed with each person. Glad you like the keychain chief! Would’ve really been disappointed if you didn't like it” Mako added in as an afterthought.

“Wait, I got info that you even did some orders when Bolin was working with Kuvira. How the hell did you manage that! Between myself and Kuvira?” Wu asked in surprise.

“You did complain about me playing with rocks all the time when my brother sent letters. How do you think I did it?” Mako asked, rolling his eyes.

“Who the hell came up with the name kid? What’s the story behind it?” Lin asked, face blank as always but curiosity shining in her eyes.

“We were kids when we started out, I was 9 at that point and we were pretty well known as bending brothers on the streets. When Narook proposed the idea after he saw our work, we took it up. Winters were harsh in the street when you didn't have money or shelter or proper clothes. I know you guys did your best as Council people but it, unfortunately, wasn't enough to get everyone through. And working or running numbers and scams didn't guarantee money or food. This way we knew that we would have some way to survive. The rest is history” Bolin remarked with a shrug.

“Alright, before we bombard the boys more, Opal, you have something to say?” Bumi asked and she gave him the stink eye for ruining the brothers’ moment but still beamed at Bolin when he gave her an expectant look.

“You expected a yes? I think I can do better” Opal challenged as she pulled him into a kiss, much to the annoyance of the kids, who all collectively started shouting how gross it was.

“Let’s give the love birds some space. I will answer your queries in the meanwhile” Mako interjected, feeling pity for the couple. It was their moment now and they had no right to interrupt it in any manner. Sending a thumbs up towards his brother, he herded the whole group back inside, dragging Korra when she attempted to fall back to take a look at the miniature sculptures.

“Let them have their moment for now. I promise the sculpture won’t go anywhere. And you did mention you had something that you wanted us to make? What did you want us to do?” Mako asked.

“Well… I guess it can wait. I would rather tell it to you when Bolin is there. I am happy that you trusted us to reveal this part-time hobby of yours” Korra admitted.

“We didn't exactly mean it to be a secret. It just turned out that way as we mentioned before. Though it would be nice to craft in front of people instead of hiding it away” Mako said quietly. “Off to the terrace you go, Asami is waiting for you” he added, pointing to the terrace where Asami seemed to be pacing and Korra rushed off, leaving Mako to introspect.

They really had come a long way. And today, after telling everyone that they were behind 2BB… it had lifted some weight from his chest that he never knew was there. And to think that he’d have scoffed at people if they were to say that he’d be a successful artist with a family… things have really changed for the good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hope you all like it! All comments and criticisms accepted and appreciated! Prompts are welcome! One more ending to go!
> 
> Thank you all for reading!!!!!!!!
> 
> Rasnak signing off :) ;)
> 
> Published on 16 March 2020


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